Rail-joint.



PATENTED DEC. 1, 1903. G. A. PACK. RAIL JOINT.

APPLICATION FILED 0013.9. 1902.

UNITED STATES Patented December 1, 1903.

GUSTAV A. PACK, OF BORDENTOWN, NEW JERSEY.

RAIL-JOINT.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 745,894, dated'December1, 1903.

Application filed October 9, 1903. Serial No. 176,345. (No model.)

To all whom, it may concern:

Beit known that I, GUSTAV A. PACK, a citizen of the United States,residing at Bordentown, in the county ofBurlington and State of NewJersey, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Rail-Joints, ofwhich the following is a specification.

My invention relates to rail-joints. It consists of pieces secured toeach side of the rail and abutting against its base, web, and head andof flanges by which these are securely but detachably held in place.

It further consists of other novel features of construction, all as willbe hereinafter fully set forth.

Figure 1 represents a top plan view of my device, partly broken away.Fig. 2 repre sents the end of a rail with the parts which arepermanently connected therewith. Fig. 3 represents a section through theline a a, Fig. 2. Fig. 4 represents a section through the line I) Z),Fig. 1. Fig. 5 represents a section through the line c, Fig. 1. Figs. 6,7, 8, 9, and 10 represent in elevation various detached portions of mydevice.

Similar numerals of reference indicate corresponding parts in thefigures.

Referring to the drawings, 1 designates a rail, of which 2, 3, and 4 arerespectively the head, web, and base. Secured, as by riveting orwelding, at the end of the rail are flanges and 6, respectivelydepending from the head 2 and rising from the base 3. At the oppositeside of the web 3 are drilled holes 7 and 8 in the head and base, asshown in Fig. Into the holes 7 are driven pins 9 on a loose flange 10.(Shown in Fig. 6.) In the same way the lower loose flange 11 is securedto the base 4 of the rail by means of pins 12. Through the web 3adjacent the inner ends of the flanges described is an aperture 13.(Shown in Figs. 2 and 3.)

Joint-bars consisting of a body portion 14,

adapted to fill the space between the web 3' of the rail and the innersides of the flanges, as 5 and 6, a neck 15, adapted to fill the spacebetween said flan ges, and a head 16 are forced into place, as shown inFigs. 1 and 4. These bars are somewhat more than twice as long as theflanges and are provided at each end (the head and web portions beingcut away for the purpose) with an aperture 17, corresponding to theaperture 13 in the rail-web 3. When the flanges 10 and 11 have beenplaced in position, as shown in Fig. 3, and the jointbars driven in, asshown in Figs. 1 and 4, the apertures 13 and 17 will coincide.

To secure the parts in sum, the key-pieces shown in Figs. 5, 8, 9, and10 are used. One of these consists of a body 18, adapted to fit over thebody portion 14 of the joint-bar and to abut against the head 2 and base4 of the rail, and'a laterally-extending tongue 19, at the outer end ofwhich is 2. depending lug 20, pierced byasmall vertical hole 21. VidaFig. 9.) The other key-piece (shown in Fig. 10) has abody 22, having anaperture 23, a tongue 24, and recesses and 26, the upper of which isdrilled at 27. It will be observed that the lug 20 passes snugly throughthe aperture 13in the rail-web 3 and the aperture 17 in the body 14 andinto the aperture 23 of the second key-piece and that these when placedin position are held together by a pin 28, passed through the holes 27and 21. The manner in which the key-pieces fit each other and the partsto be joined and the binding together of the bar-bodies 14 by the body18 and lug 20 of the key-piece are so clearly shown in Fig. 5 as torequire no further description. To raise a rail so joined, it isnecessary to remove the pins 28 and the key-pieces, after which thejoint-bars may be driven out, or at least so as to clear the flanges 5,6, 10, and 11 in one of the adjacent rails.

The expansion and contraction of the rail may be provided for byincreasing the length of the apertures 13 in the rails.

It is evident that various changes may be made by those skilled in theart which will come within the scope of my invention, and I do not,therefore, desire to be limited in every instance to the exactconstruction herein shown and described.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is-

1. A rail-joint comprising flanges secured at the end of the rail at theside of and spaced away from the rail-web, a joint-bar within the spacebetween said flanges and the web and connecting adjacent rails and meansfor locking said joint-bar in position.

IOC

2. A rail-joint comprising flanges secured at the end of the rail at theside of and spaced away from the rail-web, and from each other, ajoint-bar having a body portion within the space between said flangesand the rail-Web, a neck portion within the space between said flangesand a head outside of said flanges, said joint-bar connecting adjacentrails and means for locking said joint-bar in position.

3. A rail-joint comprising flanges secured at the end of the rail at theside of and spaced away from the rail-web, a joint-bar within the spacesbetween said flanges and the Web and connecting adjacent rails, saidrail-web and said joint-bar being provided with apertures and akey-piece passing through said apertures and operative to lock saidjoint-bar in position.

4:. A rail-joint comprising flanges secured at the end of the rail ateach side of and spaced away from the rail-web, joint-bars connectingadjacent rails at each side of said web and within said flanges, saidweb and said joint-bars being provided with apertures and a pair ofcoacting key-pieces each having a tongue adapted to pass through saidapertures and means for securing said key-pieces together.

5. A rail-joint comprising flanges secured at the end of the rail ateach side of and spaced away from the rail-web, joint-bars connectingadjacent rails at each side of said Web and within said flanges, saidweb and said joint-bars being provided with apertures and a pair ofcoacting key-pieces each having a tongue adapted to pass through saidapertures, one of said tongues being provided with a lug whereby thebody of said key-piece and said lug are adapted to bind together saidjoint-bars and means for securing said key-pieces together.

6. A rail-joint comprising flanges permanently secured at the end of therail to the head and base thereof respectively and spaced away from theweb, flanges detachably secured to the head and base of the rail at theopposite side of the web, joint-bars within the space between saidflanges and the web on both sides thereof and connecting adjacent railsand means forlocking said joint-bars in position.

7. A rail-joint comprising flanges permanently secured at the end of therail to the head and base thereof respectively and spaced away from theweb, flanges detachably secured to the head and base of the rail at theopposite side of the web, joint-bars adjacent the web on both sidesthereof, said joint-bars having body portions within the space betweensaid flanges and the web, a neck portion within the space between saidflanges and a head outside of said flanges, said jointbars connectingadjacent rails and means for locking said joint-bars in position.

GUSTAV A. PACK.

Witnesses:

BENJ. R. LAMsoN, EDWIN O. PENNOCK.

